Competitor 175 CS or 185 TL

Need some help deciding what to get!

Looking at new 2017 competitor 175CS with 115 or the 185 Till with 90. It will be mostly for fishing but I do have a young family and would do occasional tubing, etc.

I really want the tiller as I love the space you get but I’m also thinking that I will regret not having the wheel in the future. I plan to keep the boat for at least 10-15 years. I’ve been quoted about $25,000 for both set ups. How does that seem as far as price for boat, motor, trailer. Look at Merc 4s for the motor but yamaha and etec are all in same price range.

I fish Mille Lacs, Leech, Red, and all the big ones as well as some smaller lakes. Coming from a small boat so I am really good excited about a bigger boat.

Also, the packages I’m looking at have bunk trailers. How well would these work on a boat this size?

Any input or insight?

You mentioned lakes that are big water. Many times long runs are in order. Others times runs feel long due to rough conditions. In either case you may be happier in a wheel boat for two basic reasons: Arm/body fatigue from running a tiller and protection from the elements when behind a console.

I fish mostly these waters and have run a tin tiller. Getting wet will be the norm and after a day on rough water you will notice that parts of your body will be sore the following day due to the ergonomics and fatigue.

I have a Crest 1850 Tiller w/ a 90hrs 4-stroke Merc that I bought at boat show last year for around 27ish’ so that price seems nice. I got away from CS boats simply due to wanting more space. The “fishability” factor with a tiller certainly is better BUT if you want to pull the kids on tubs or just joyride (along with fishing of course…) I would say a CS is your choice. Mine is strictly for fishing…

LOVE my bunk trailer and I have always had rollers. I think that is the general consensus from guys but I may be wrong on that. Just what I seem to constantly hear at boat landings…

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Francis K wrote:

You mentioned lakes that are big water. Many times long runs are in order. Others times runs feel long due to rough conditions. In either case you may be happier in a wheel boat for two basic reasons: Arm/body fatigue from running a tiller and protection from the elements when behind a console.

I fish mostly these waters and have run a tin tiller. Getting wet will be the norm and after a day on rough water you will notice that parts of your body will be sore the following day due to the ergonomics and fatigue.

Even though I still say Tiller, I agree with everything Francis says…RR

I’d go with the CS with the reasons already mentioned. When looking at the two models, it doesn’t look like the counsel takes up too much room.

Thank you guys. That’s the feedback I was looking for!

Fishing out of the TL makes me very excited with all the room. I just don’t know if I can go that route with the family that will eventually be wanting to go with. I do know that I dislike the full windshield because of all the room it takes up. Also, at least for the life of this boat I don’t mind getting wet on fishing trips.

Anyone else have a thought on 25000 for the CS. It’s a 2017. That was just the quote and I haven’t really negotiated yet.

I have the 175 trophy and have a family of 4 and with the jump seats in the back and the convertible front I love it, I also fish by my self a lot and it works great for me.

I can tell you what my setup cost and you can compare. Not an apples to apples boat but could help you.

2016 Competitor 175 Sport (full windshield) Limited Edition.
140 Suzuki
9.9 Suzuki kicker
ipilot 80 w/ remote
hummingbird 859 CI DI
Standard shoreliner roller trailer
custom cover
on board charger with batteries included

total price after TTL out the door was around 32k. Considering that the kicker motor, ipilot, custom cover, and taxes alone cost more than 7 grand, not to mention the higher priced motor and the limited edition package, id say there should be some room for negotiating there on your quote of 25k.

I think the best thing would be to get a ride in each but if that’s not possible think about the trade offs.

IMO, I can’t effectively fish tight structure in a council boat. There’s not a person on earth that can fish a small piece of structure like I you with a tiller. Even the big name Pros will agree with that, but when you’re in a tournament running 40+ miles one way you need a big wheel boat.

For me, I don’t think twice about running all the way across MileLacs in my tiller. Plus my family loves the tiller for the room and it works great for pulling tubes and skiers. I don’t know too many walleye fisherman that choose a council boat, they usually gets told to buy one by their wife.

With that said, if you fish bass, catfish, and panfish where boat control isn’t as important I think the council or tiller would be fine.

Joe Scegura wrote:

I think the best thing would be to get a ride in each but if that’s not possible think about the trade offs.

IMO, I can’t effectively fish tight structure in a council boat. There’s not a person on earth that can fish a small piece of structure like I you with a tiller. Even the big name Pros will agree with that, but when you’re in a tournament running 40+ miles one way you need a big wheel boat.

For me, I don’t think twice about running all the way across MileLacs in my tiller. Plus my family loves the tiller for the room and it works great for pulling tubes and skiers. I don’t know too many walleye fisherman that choose a council boat, they usually gets told to buy one by their wife.

With that said, if you fish bass, catfish, and panfish where boat control isn’t as important I think the council or tiller would be fine.

Interesting thoughts. Pretty much only fish walleyes. The occasional crappie I stay closer to home. Currently have a smaller single counsel and have almost no trouble staying on tight structure. Pretty certain I’ll be able to put both boats on walleyes…no worries in that department.

Thanks for the comments about tubing and skiers. That does help a ton. I figured it wouldn’t be too much of a pain but you don’t see many people doing it with a TL. The room inside the boat is why I keep coming back to the tiller.

My family loves the windshield. It takes up room, but it also provides protection for certain things. Store stuff under it, on top, inside, etc.

Deep walls keep the little ones inside and keeps mom less stressed. Kids like to hang out “up front”. Close the WS and they have their little hangout area when lounging around.

I made the decision to sacrfice fishability with the console and am very happy I did so. Big tiller just didn’t make sense for MY young family in the end.

Here is my 2 cents. I have been running tillers for about 25 years but in 2014 I upgraded to an Alumacraft Competitor Sport 175 LE, with a 140 Horse Suzuki outboard. Pretty much the same setup Crappie55369 has, I even had a 9.9 kicker on it until last summer.

I love the boat, it has tons of room compared to anything else I have had in the past, my only regret is I should have never bought the kicker motor. The 175 Competitor is a wonderful boat, but it didnt like having 530 pounds hanging off the transom. I pulled the kicker off (removing about 125 pounds off the left rear) and it handles amazing now.

What I miss is the feeling of control, especially when backtrolling that I have been used to for so many years. But with the new boat I have a 80# 24V Terrova up front with all the bells and whistles, I am now learning to troll differently than I used to before. I can now say after 3 seasons I have as much control as before, it just takes a while to re-train your brain.

I could go on on all the positives, but the biggest one is we go out earlier in the year and later into the fall with colder temps. Having the full windshield and wheel provides a level of comfort you cant match with a tiller when it gets cold or the waves get choppy.

There are moments where I still miss my old tiller Yukon 165 but I do not regret going to the console and would do it again in a heartbeat.

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Thanks for input everyone. I think I can cross the tiller off. Just not the right time for one! Now to find the price I like.

how do you like the bimini top on that boat savage? I didnt get one when i bought it and ive been thinking about adding one to the boat to help with the summer sun.

crappie55369 wrote:

how do you like the bimini top on that boat savage? I didnt get one when i bought it and ive been thinking about adding one to the boat to help with the summer sun.

Luckily it can be removed easily so I only put it on the days I think I will want it. When you have it laid down it sits across the rear livewell and kinda gets in the way.

With that said I am very glad I bought it, I cant stay out in the sun all day without getting bad headaches and generally not feeling well. With the bimini up at least from noon to 3:00 or thereabouts I can stay out all day just fine. I just need to get out of the sun occasionally and it is also nice when going out with family as it makes their day more comfortable. On slightly rainy days it is nice also as I can still fish out the back while standing under the cover staying more dry.

It has its pluses and minuses, and probably 80% of the time is left in the garage, but the 20% its on I am glad that its there. I also have a panel that goes up between the consoles under the windshield and that gets used alot especially late in the year.

Thanks all. Got a dealer down to just over 22k for a competitor 175 cs. I’m gonna jump all over that. Has the 115 Yamaha on it.

Congrats! You should be very happy with that choice!
Your family will be more comfortable in that boat over a tiller IMO.
I went with a full windshield boat and yes, it does give up floor space, but extending the season or going out in otherwise nasty conditions where I would likely stay home or at least the kids would helped push me that way. Like you I plan to keep the boat for a very long time.

Now you’re just going to get antsy for open water!

Congrats on the rig. We enjoy our Competitor when we get out. Got the 2013, 175 version with full windshield. For a family rig I does well. You and the family will love yours.

Well done and have fun when you get her.

D

Nice! I think you got a good price! Enjoy

$22k sounds like a smoking price! I’m right in the middle of this too. Would LOVE to have a big tiller for fishing and space but a CS for the family with a Bimini makes more sense. Just a trade off until someone creates/invents a portable Console. Seems like a business opp

crappie55369 wrote:

how do you like the bimini top on that boat savage? I didnt get one when i bought it and ive been thinking about adding one to the boat to help with the summer sun.

Get the bimini top, but make sure you get either one custom made for your boat or direct from Alumacraft. The generic ones do not work well at all. A buddy had one on his last boat and it was basically junk.
It was the best accessory I purchased for my boat. Make sure you get the walkway curtain too that snaps in between the pass through. Really cuts down on the cold wind.
It is so nice to put the top up and hide from the intense sun, rain, etc. When my kids were smaller it provided a nice shady area for them to take a nap while we were on the lake.

I’m wishing I purchased the back half of the top because that would be totally sweet when its super nasty out, but as I get older fishing on those types of conditions isn’t that important to me anymore.

you guys mind if I ask what I could expect to pay in pricing for either a partial or full enclosure bimini top? having a hard time finding pricing for OEM stuff. I put in a call to my boat dealer to see if they can offer pricing and installation. One other question, do you need to take it down in order to go fast? im assuming that its not sturdy enough to go fast with the top up. If so is it a pain to put it up and lower it each time?

crappie55369 wrote:

you guys mind if I ask what I could expect to pay in pricing for either a partial or full enclosure bimini top? having a hard time finding pricing for OEM stuff. I put in a call to my boat dealer to see if they can offer pricing and installation. One other question, do you need to take it down in order to go fast? im assuming that its not sturdy enough to go fast with the top up. If so is it a pain to put it up and lower it each time?

Worst case scenario just unsnap the front and roll it up. Depending on the how rough conditions are and direction of wind gusts I generally roll it up if I am running WOT. Going up on plane up to maybe 30 mph i feel fine with it up. I do not remember how much it cost but I bought the one from Alumacraft.

crappie55369 wrote:

you guys mind if I ask what I could expect to pay in pricing for either a partial or full enclosure bimini top? having a hard time finding pricing for OEM stuff. I put in a call to my boat dealer to see if they can offer pricing and installation. One other question, do you need to take it down in order to go fast? im assuming that its not sturdy enough to go fast with the top up. If so is it a pain to put it up and lower it each time?

I think I paid around 450 for mine installed. I have had it up many times and gone wide open across the water without any concerns. There are snaps that install in the moulding at the top of windshield. For reference that’s about 48mph with my boat.
Try looking in warners dock and marine website, they used to have pricing on there.

What can I expect to troll down to with the competitor 175 and 115 yam?

If I was going to run a tiller for those big waters not a chance it would be aluminum. My navigator tiller is just to wide for big waters. Guessing the competitor you might find the same thing. Extremely wet ride.

Mike W wrote:

If I was going to run a tiller for those big waters not a chance it would be aluminum. My navigator tiller is just to wide for big waters. Guessing the competitor you might find the same thing. Extremely wet ride.

The Comp 175 I have has a 25″ transom and is plenty deep to run on big water. I generally stay pretty dry, now with that said it doesn’t ride as nice as say a 20-22 foot fiberglass (Ranger-Skeeter-Warrior-…) but then again that is a whole different class of boat.

What can I expect to troll down to with the competitor 175 and 115 yam?

A friend of mine has the same setup he could only troll down to about 2.7MPH. He ordered a trolling plate online and got down below 2. So for about $100 and 20 minutes time to install he was in business.

With my 175 Navigator and the 115 Yamaha I can get down to 2.5 mph.

Thanks guys.

I’ll likely opt for a smaller kicker to use in combo with the ipilot link to avoid big hours on the big motor anyhow. I just wanted to see what I can expect with the big motor until I can find a decent used kicker.